Waiting for the other shoe to drop...

Odd Man

Thru Hiker
My (short) shoe history has been

Inov8 Roclite 282 GTX
Inov8 X-Talon 225
Vivobarefoot Primus Trail SG
Altra Lone Peak 3.0
Bedrock Cairn Adventure Pro 3D
Altra Superior 4.0

Inov8 Roclite 282 GTX was ok for awhile, but later they turned out to be a bit too wide & loose, and after a one long mountain climb my ankles & calves were in agony due to not being able to stabilise the shoe effectively. I gave them up.

Inov8 X-Talon 225's I've worn the most. They are only 4mm drop and 8mm thick. I love the grip and I love how I can feel what's under my foot, which makes my movement more secure. This comes with a minor penalty of PF fatigue on high miles days. Walking on pavement is a fit funny due to lugs, and they make this noise like walking on cockroaches.

Vivobarefoot Primus Trail SG I still have these, but I've only tried wearing them couple of times and both times I got pretty big chafing on my achilles. I think this is due to thin material around the area, whereas in the FG model it's padded. I love the feel and the grip, but they are just not very comfortable. I'd love to wear them if I could find a way to prevent the chafing.

Altra Lone Peak 3.0 I only had these for a little while. I just found them too soft, bouncy and also slippery on solid surfaces.

Bedrock Cairn Adventure Pro 3Ds are sandals. I've successfully hiked 2/3 days of Milford Track in these without issues and I even had a recently broken pinky toe while doing it. There's is minimal break in period, but the minimal ridge in 3D models might cause blisters on some people. I like to hike in sandals, but the sole pattern could be a bit more aggressive.

Altra Superior 4.0 I've been walking in these the last couple of months. They are better for me than Lone Peaks and after some adjustment period, I'm ok with the extra cushioning, even though it still feel a bit weird to me. They are better than Lone Peaks due to less cushioning. However, they seem to have the same issue as LPs. The grip is not great on slick surfaces, or even in a bit of muffy trail.

As a bigger guy, I need a bit more grip for comfortable movement and found X-talons and Primus Trail SGs really help me keeping a balance on uphills & downhills.

Now my question is: Is there any downsides with using aggressively patterned trail runners, like X-talons or Mud Claws? I'd assume that they work pretty well with UK trails which tend to be muddy or sandy.

Am I missing something?
 

Enzo

Thru Hiker
I use X talon 212 and mainly mudclaw 300 during the winter months as I'm on clay over chalk and I'd have no chance of staying verticals otherwise.
The mudclaws are more cushioned than the 212s, I tend to only use 212 .for sub 25 mile days.
I like roclite 315 /295/305 etc for the rest of the year, comfier and still good grip on loose ground.
 

EM - paul

Thru Hiker
ive never bought shoes on the basis of the tread. i wear whats comfiest for me and i dont fall over. i tend to buy roclites asd i find them to be as grippy as the next shoe. If i was actually running id pay more attention to the tread but as a big guy plodding along gravity helps me dig in a bit deeper than the average bear. Perhaps i should be more worried about sinking :)
 

Odd Man

Thru Hiker
ive never bought shoes on the basis of the tread. i wear whats comfiest for me and i dont fall over. i tend to buy roclites asd i find them to be as grippy as the next shoe. If i was actually running id pay more attention to the tread but as a big guy plodding along gravity helps me dig in a bit deeper than the average bear. Perhaps i should be more worried about sinking :)

I used New Balance Minimus as my daily shoe and did some hill walking in NZ, but found that I kept slipping & sliding, hence went for shoes with more grip.

Altras I found to be very slippery on wet pavement and other slippery surfaces, and just yesterday I was sliding around in mud while walking in Cornwall. I find the tread to be on the tame side for my liking.

I don't recall having grip issues with Roclites, it was more about the fit. If my feet are moving inside the shoe, that reduces confidence and efficiency and makes my lower legs work harder to keep the balance. I really need to make sure that my heel and midfoot won't slide around and cinch my shoes pretty tight.

X-talons are narrower, so they are easier to lace up nice and tight, as my feet are big, but not as wide as one would expect for size 13.

I guess the only drawback of using big lugs is the comfort when walking on pavement?
 

Odd Man

Thru Hiker
A similar thread about feet moving ion shoes prompted the suggestion that an alternative lacing system might help with the problem. See this website.

I've used heel lock, and yet the issue is foot width. If my heel is snug, there's no lateral sliding inside the shoe. Could be that might feet are just oddly shaped, being long and relatively narrow. My feet have grown a size since I went minimalistic. Well technically they didn't grow, it was more that arch was restored to neutral and hammer/mallet toes straightened to natural shape as well.
 

Robin

Moderator
Staff member
Not massive drop, which is good, but the stack height is up there with Altra. The biggest issue is finding sz 13, and Altra, Vivo and Inov8 are the few brands that offer them in the UK. Most other tend to stop at sz 12 (kids sizing).
I’m lucky as I’m 8-9 depending on make which is pretty easy to get.
 

TinTin

Thru Hiker
Not massive drop, which is good, but the stack height is up there with Altra. The biggest issue is finding sz 13, and Altra, Vivo and Inov8 are the few brands that offer them in the UK. Most other tend to stop at sz 12 (kids sizing).
Are you a hobbit? :woot:
 

craige

Thru Hiker
I've had 3 pairs of topo runventure (Iirc), they had wide toes but the mid and heel were quite snug which I really liked. It was a few years ago so things might have changed but the midsole collapsed really quickly and what was nice and cushy when new was quickly next to nothing. I really liked them though, they were secure on my feet while giving me plenty room in the front, pretty airy and the lugs were quite small in size but gripped well.
 

TinTin

Thru Hiker
Well, my feet are proportional to my body, so that'd be no, I guess. Big lad, big feet.
Only joking. I guess that being at one end of the scale isn't great for specific bargains. That is if you have a limited range that you are considering and your size is one that they don't do in large quantities it must be tough.
 

Odd Man

Thru Hiker
I've had 3 pairs of topo runventure (Iirc), they had wide toes but the mid and heel were quite snug which I really liked. It was a few years ago so things might have changed but the midsole collapsed really quickly and what was nice and cushy when new was quickly next to nothing. I really liked them though, they were secure on my feet while giving me plenty room in the front, pretty airy and the lugs were quite small in size but gripped well.

Sounds good. One thing I forgot to mention is that I'm put less than 50mi on my Superiors and I have a feeling that the heel area cushioning is already a bit compressed. I'm probably too heavy for optimum use for these shoes, but still I'd expect the midsole to be a bit more sturdier. I think Altras are probably made for max comfort on long hikes, rather than lasting a long time.
 

Odd Man

Thru Hiker
Only joking. I guess that being at one end of the scale isn't great for specific bargains. That is if you have a limited range that you are considering and your size is one that they don't do in large quantities it must be tough.

No worries. If I had Hobbit feet, they'd be size 42. I guess I'd be more like Bigfoot... big & hairy (feet).

Ironically Follow Bigfoot (from YouTube) is not a very tall man... maybe he has tiny feet and that's the joke? :D
 

craige

Thru Hiker
They're definitely not made to last. No running shoes are really? The runventures were quicker than 50 miles before I noticed. I wore them out and about for a couple of days to get used to them and then on the WHW, noticed around 15 miles in that they'd compressed a little and by the final few miles of the trail and only 4 days hiking they were pretty thin. I really liked them for day hikes though which is why I bought more. That was a few years ago and they don't make them any more. I imagine the midsole material is better now.
 

TinTin

Thru Hiker
They're definitely not made to last. No running shoes are really? The runventures were quicker than 50 miles before I noticed. I wore them out and about for a couple of days to get used to them and then on the WHW, noticed around 15 miles in that they'd compressed a little and by the final few miles of the trail and only 4 days hiking they were pretty thin. I really liked them for day hikes though which is why I bought more. That was a few years ago and they don't make them any more. I imagine the midsole material is better now.
They sound really interesting, except for the wear issue. I think I'm going to call in at that place in Settle that has them next time I'm up that way. I really need to find a trail running shoe that fits me well and provides a stable platform. I've retired my Altra Lone Peak 3.5s because they just don't feel stable when running. OK for walking but not for me when running. I'm actually finding the same issue with Brooks Cascadia 14s wide. At first I loved them and still like the new features but they don't feel as stable when running as my old Cascadias. But then they were not so good in the mud.
 

craige

Thru Hiker
Yeah, the roclite series are a 3 on the inov8 width scale? And this is a 5 so it'll be pretty wide. Quite tempted by that tbh. I wear roclite 290 atm which is 11/7 stack so overall pretty similar and I can do long days without issues.
 
The Roclites are too narrow for me and the Terras look the same width as the Trail Talons I am after. Still need to size one whole size up though to get the right width. Tempted to get the Terraultras. My right Achilles may sook tho'.
 

EM-Chiseller

Thru Hiker
Anyone has experiences with Terraultra, it's zero drop and 9mm stack, which is half of what Altras have. It is a wide fit, so I'd probably face the same issues as with Roclite.

https://www.inov-8.com/terraultra-g-260-graphene-running-shoe
I've a pair... Can't run in them... They seem to flare my early plantar... I've done less than 20 miles and put them up for sale.
I'm tempted to take them to the Lakes tomorrow and see what they're like on the mountain trails as I've only worn them on local ones.
I'm hoping they're okay for walking/fastpacking.... We'll see.
 
I've a pair... Can't run in them... They seem to flare my early plantar... I've done less than 20 miles and put them up for sale.
I'm tempted to take them to the Lakes tomorrow and see what they're like on the mountain trails as I've only worn them on local ones.
I'm hoping they're okay for walking/fastpacking.... We'll see.
Bugger!
I have had the Lone Peaks for a year and about a thousand ks on them but-go over 25 ks in one session and my right Achilles is, to quote that great sage Jesse 'the body' Ventura "in a world of hurt"!
 
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